Buying essays: how to make sure assessment is authentic By Shirley Alexander, University of Technology, Sydney The essay, as the primary form of assessment, should be dead. This is the kind of comment that terrifies academics everywhere – but it is an idea that I think we all need to consider. The “news” that there […]
Palm oil continues to destroy Indonesia’s wildlife By Penny van Oosterzee, James Cook University and Bill Laurance, James Cook University How do the products we buy affect the world’s rainforests? In the lead up to the Asia-Pacific Rainforest Summit held in Sydney this week, The Conversation is running a series on rainforest commodities. If you […]
Our kids need to learn about climate change By Libby Tudball, Monash University The conclusions published by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) this week provide a wake-up call about the importance of teaching kids about sustainability. The IPCC’s dire warnings are based on new evidence just released on the impact of […]
Future forecasting: landscape architects might save the world By Naomi Stead, The University of Queensland I predict we’re going to hear a lot more from landscape architects in the coming years. There has long been a misunderstanding about what they actually do – “something about gardens” being a common response. But the diversity and scale […]
In recent years much has been made of the concept of the Digital Native and Digital Immigrant. Could we examine the limits of these metaphors in relation to education. Many believe the metaphors to be useful, but like all metaphors they need to be extended and enriched. Are there Digital Refugees?Digital Asylum Seekers? Digital Enemy Combatants? What […]
The Coalition’s 19th-century colonial time warp on climate By David Holmes, Monash University Greens senator Scott Ludlam’s prophecy that environment minister Greg Hunt has been directed to play solitaire for an entire term of office is so far holding up to scrutiny. It is looking increasingly unlikely that Australia will meet even its now-minuscule target […]
A Moment With Gough Whitlam By John Keane, University of Sydney Gough Whitlam, addressing supporters on the day of his dismissal, November 11, 1975 ABC Edward Gough Whitlam has passed on, leaving behind millions of citizens saddened by scores of eloquent obituaries reminding us how, once upon a time, Australian politics produced world-class leaders courageously […]
‘Gentle parenting’ explainer: no rewards, no punishments, no misbehaving kids By Rebecca English, Queensland University of Technology In a piece in The Conversation, Bernadette Saunders described positive discipline. Parents who practise positive discipline or gentle parenting use neither rewards nor punishments to encourage their children to behave. By “no rewards” I mean they don’t use […]
Copyright in the Trans-Pacific Partnership echoes past mistakes By Kimberlee Weatherall, University of Sydney Ten years on from the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement, Australia is entering another round of negotiations towards the new and controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership. In this Free Trade Scorecard series, we review Australian trade policy over the years and where we stand […]
Since Gough died the other day there seems to be one great achievement left to be recorded – it seems to me that his passing has revitalised a broad desire to change for the greater good – apart from the standard detritus from the Cabinet we’re seeing many more elected officers standing for what’s right […]